The present invention is related to keyboard type devices that contain a set of systematically arranged keys used to operate a machine or device. More specifically, the invention relates to keyboards or keypads in which each key is selectably able to perform a function chosen from one or more sets of functions and to means of clearly displaying on the face of the key which function has been selected for that key.
In order to maximize the flexibility and reduce the number of individual keys on keyboards for input of data or instructions to machines and devices, such as typewriters, computers, telephones, etc., it is common practice to divide the total number of operations (functions) the keyboard is able to control into different subsets. The keyboard is provided with a control mechanism which allows the operator to choose which subset is required either for the entire keyboard or for each individual key. Within the chosen subset each individual key represents a different operation and when pressed will generate an appropriate signal. Switching to another subset will result in a corresponding change in the signal generated by each key. In order to display the alternate functions associated with each key to the user, the indicia for all the subsets are typically printed or engraved in some fashion on the individual keys. The difficulty with this is that typically there are two or more subsets and the keys are sometimes very small, therefore making it difficult for the operator to clearly see and to be able to easily distinguish between the various indicia on each key.
FIG. 1 is a photograph showing a portion of a dual-language (Hebrew-English) keyboard for a personal computer and FIG. 2 shows a typical keypad for a cellular telephone. Both photographs illustrate the crowded and often confusing arrangement of indicia on the face of each key. This difficulty has long been recognized and keyboard manufacturers have provided many ingenious, if usually complicated, solutions to the problem.
One of the early attempts at solving this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,653,683. According to this patent, the indicia are written on the keys one behind the other, for example, numbers on the forward part of each key and letters behind. Each key is covered by a plate with a window large enough to allow only one of the indicia on each key to be seen at a time. The plates are connected to a mechanical mechanism that is in turn connected to a selecting mechanism such that, when, for example, the numerical function is selected, all the windows are pulled forward on the keys exposing the numbers and covering the letters.
A mechanical approach is used in U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,932 which discloses a mechanism for simultaneously rotating all of the keys on the keyboard. Each key has several characters on it and in each rotational position a different indicia, belonging to a common set of indicia for the entire keyboard, is brought into a readable position. Each key is connected to an electric circuit which provides an appropriate coded output to the device being controlled by the keyboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,517,792 combines a mechanical with an electrical approach. In a preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed in this patent, the individual hexagonally shaped keys are mounted on rods, one for each row of a typewriter keyboard, such that rotating the rod will bring a different face, corresponding to a different font type, of the key into view. The entire keyboard is arranged so that all the keys move together and the electronics of the system is integrated such that the indicia corresponding to the selected font type is typed when a key is pressed.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,722 discloses a computer input keyboard whose keys are automatically relabeled by optical transfer of computer-generated labels from a visual display device to the keyboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,322 describes a keyboard wherein each key contains a small cathode-ray tube on which the labels are generated under control of a computer.
The above described solutions are representative of many others. All of these proposed solutions are either too expensive and/or too time-consuming to operate and/or too complicated to adapt to modern keyboard devices. In these keyboards the manufacturers sometimes use color coding to distinguish between indicia associated with different subgroups, but this is an unsatisfactory solution since with time the colors often fade and, in any case, the difficulty of the size of the indicia remains. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for two of the most widely used applications of keyboards today, the problem of clearly displaying multiple indicia on the face of each key is still unsolved.
It is therefore a purpose of this invention to provide a keyboard or keypad in which the multiple indicia representing the multiple functions of each key are displayed individually on the face of the key. The indicia that is displayed is determined by the choice of function made by the operator of the keyboard.
It is another purpose of this invention to provide a keyboard or keypad in which the multiple indicia representing the multiple functions of each key are displayed individually on the face of the key. The choice of indicia being displayed is determined by the operator of the keyboard by non-mechanical means and simply by changing the angle at which he views the keyboard.
It is yet another purpose of this invention to provide a keyboard or keypad in which the multiple indicia representing the multiple functions of each key are displayed individually and full-sized on the face of the key.
It is a further purpose of this invention to provide a method for providing a keyboard or keypad in which the multiple indicia representing the multiple functions of each key are displayed individually on the face of that key that is relatively inexpensive to produce and can be applied to virtually any input device that uses keys for selecting the information to be transferred to virtually any machine or device.
It is yet another purpose of the invention to provide a keyboard- or keypad-operated device in which the function of the keys is determined by the angle at which the device is held relative to the viewer.
Further purposes and advantages of this invention will appear as the description proceeds.
The method of the present invention, for displaying individually the multiple indicia representing the multiple functions of each key of a keyboard or keypad, comprises dividing each of the images of the individual indicia into portions that are then printed in a predetermined manner, each individual portion being printed spaced from the adjacent portions containing information from the same indicia. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the portions containing information from the other indicia are printed in the spaces between adjacent portions of the first indicia such that a single composite interlaced image, containing information about all the indicia, is produced. This composite image is produced on the top surface of the key either by being affixed to or printed directly on it. When observed from different angles and by appropriate means, the information contained in the composite image is separated such that the indicia are observed individually.
Throughout this specification the terms xe2x80x9ckeyboardxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ckeypadxe2x80x9d are used interchangeably/ and are meant to indicate any arrangement of two or more keys used to operate any electric or electronic device.
In the abovementioned preferred embodiment of the invention, the methods of producing the composite image and observing the individual indicia are based on known lenticular technology, although alternate preferred embodiments using other methods are also encompassed by the invention, as described hereinafter. The basic principle of lenticular technology as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,906 band South African patent 2000/3312 by the same inventor, the descriptions of which are incorporated herein by reference, is well known to persons skilled in the art.
For each key of the keyboard, the set of indicia that is to be represented is printed, by lithography or some other suitable technique, or created by multiple injection or the like process, superimposed in an interlaced fashion. Suitable methods for producing the lithography are disclosed in, for example, the above-mentioned South African patent. The lithography is done either directly on the top surface of the key or on a substrate that is attached to the key by suitable means such as gluing. A sheet of lenticular lenses is then attached to the key above the print. Viewing through the lenses at different angles relative to the printing reveals the different indicia one at a time to an observer looking at the print through the lenses.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,906 the viewer has a fixed angle of view and the relative motion is accomplished by physically moving the lenses relative to the stationary print or vice versa. In the present invention the small amount of relative motion needed to observe the separate indicia is provided by changing the angle of observation of the print through the lenses. This change of angle is accomplished by either tilting the keyboard relative to the stationary eyes of the observer or vice versa.
In one aspect, the present invention is directed towards providing a key for a keyboard comprising two or more indicia provided on its surface. The key is characterized in that each of two or more indicia is provided on the key in a plurality of separated portions. The portions being positioned in a spaced positioned relationship with one another so as not to be physically closely juxtaposed, and wherein, when viewed at a predetermined angle, all parts of the indicia are optically juxtaposed to create the entire indicia.
The key may have the portions of the two or more indicia interlaced so that more than one indicia occupy essentially the same area. When the portions of the two or more indicia are compressed and interlaced, lenses are provided to enlarge the portions and, when viewed from a predetermined angle, a complete indicia is generated. The lenses can comprise a sheet of lenticular lenses composed of an array of lenses of cylindrical or spherical lenses. The bottom surface of the sheet of lenticular lenses can be either planar or non-planar. If it is non-planar it has a symmetric structure that is dependent on the type of lenses on the top surface of the sheet.
The interlaced indicia on the key can be printed on the bottom of the lenticular sheet. In another embodiment, the separate portions of each of the indicia are provided in separate parallel planes provided in the key, one set of said parallel planes for each of the indicia. The sets of planes are essentially perpendicular to or at an angle with the surface of the key.
The indicia can be provided on the key by printing on a sheet which is attached to the body of the key or by injecting, printing or otherwise coloring the surface of the key. The different indicia printed on the key may be of different colors.
The key may be produced by a two-stage injection process in the first stage of which the body of the key is produced and, in the second stage, the indicia on the top surface of the body of the key. In another embodiment a three-stage injection process is used to produce the key. Where, in the first stage, the body of the key is produced, in the second stage, the indicia on the top surface body of the key, and, in the third stage, the lenses on top of the indicia.
In another aspect, the invention is directed towards providing a keyboard or keypad comprising a plurality of keys having the characteristics described hereinabove. The keyboard may be associated with angular orientation means and the angular orientation means may, or may not, comprise one or more gyroscopes.
In a further aspect, the invention is directed towards a method for displaying individually on a plurality of keys of a keyboard the two or more indicia representing two or more functions performed by the key. The method comprises:
dividing each of the individual indicia into portions;
positioning each of the individual portions in spaced positional relationship with respect to adjacent portions containing parts of the same indicia; and
providing alternately, in the spaces between adjacent portions of the first indicia, portions containing information from the other indicia such that a single composite interlaced image, containing information about all of the indicia, is produced.
The composite image is produced on the top surface of the body of the key and, when observed from different viewing angles, the information contained in the composite image is separated such that the indicia are observed individually.
The composite image can be viewed through a sheet of lenticular lenses comprised of an array of cylindrical or spherical lenses. The bottom of the sheet of lenticular lenses can be either planar or non-planar. If it is non-planar it has a symmetric structure that is dependent on the type of lenses on the top surface of the sheet.
The number of indicia on each key is between 2 and 5 and the composite interlaced image is produced on the top surface of the body of the key by any suitable method, e.g., by a method chosen from the following group:
printing the image on a sheet and attaching the sheet by suitable means to the surface of the body of the key, and placing lenticular lenses thereon;
printing the image on the bottom surface of a sheet of lenticular lenses which is then attached to the surface of the body of the key by suitable means; and
producing the image directly on the surface of the body of the key as part of the manufacturing process of the key.
According to a preferred embodiment of the method of the invention, the change in viewing angle can be associated with angular orientation means (i.e., means suitable to sense the direction in which the keyboard is being oriented, as will be further described hereinafter), which can comprise one or more gyroscopes.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the method comprises dividing each of the individual indicia into portions and then providing each of the separate portions of each of the indicia in separate parallel planes provided in the surface of the body of the key. One set of parallel planes is provided for each indicia. When observed from different viewing angles, each of the indicia is observed individually. The sets of planes can be essentially perpendicular to the surface of the key or at an angle with the surface of the key.
In yet another aspect, the invention is directed towards providing a device comprising one or more of the keys described hereinabove.
In still a further aspect, the invention is directed towards providing a device comprising a keyboard of the type described hereinabove.
In yet a further aspect, the invention is directed towards providing a device wherein the function associated with pressing on any one of the keys of the keyboard is determined by angular orientation means attached to the device. The angular orientation means can be, for instance, gyroscopes. If the device is rigidly mounted on to a moving platform, then the gyroscope on the keyboard will also sense the movement of the platform. To limit the effect of the motion of the platforms the device is rigidly supported by an external structure comprising means to isolates it from the platform motion. An example of suitable means is a gyroscope driven servo system used to maintain the orientation of a device supported by gimbals.
All the above and other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be further understood through the following illustrative and non-limitative description of preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the appended drawings.